The post Indiana Mandates Crypto Inclusion in State-Managed Retirement and Savings Plans appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Indiana has become the first state in the US to legalize the inclusion of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies into state-managed retirement and savings plans.

On March 3, Indiana Governor Mike Braun signed this into law under House Bill 1042, titled “Regulation and Investment of Cryptocurrency.”

Henceforth, state-managed retirement and savings plans should provide at least one cryptocurrency as an investment option in a user’s self-directed brokerage account. This kind of account will allow users to operate nodes and engage in peer-to-peer transactions.

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) can be included in these plans, but not stablecoin-related funds due to the current lack of clarity regarding stablecoin yields. 

Pension providers now have until July 1, 2027, to have fully integrated digital asset provisions into their systems.

Indiana Bill to include crypto investments for pensioners

The Indiana bill levels the playing field for digital and traditional finance, banning any taxes that bring discrepancies between the two.

Also part of the bill was the prohibition of unreasonable restrictions on crypto mining zones.

Source: X

Other US states that have integrated crypto-related options for pensioners are Wisconsin ($321 million in Bitcoin ETFs) and Michigan ($45 million in BTC and ETH ETFs). Florida and New Jersey are in the process of doing the same.

Internationally, countries that have implemented or are exploring the incorporation of digital assets into pension funds include Canada, Japan, Australia, and Germany.

Providing these at the workplace are Fidelity Investments, 401(k) providers, and self-directed IRA (Individual Retirement Account) custodians.

Community Reaction

The new Indiana legislation has received mixed community reactions following its enactment. Supporters cite the bill’s alignment with the US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, its progressive nature, and the provision of pensioners’ autonomy.

On the other hand, critics cite financial risk from dabbling in highly volatile financial instruments, in addition to the state’s distancing itself from direct digital asset investments. The bill also raised controversy regarding Indiana’s specific stance when it comes to cryptocurrencies amid the recent scam-related ban of crypto ATMs.

The post Iranians Increase Self-Custody Bitcoin Reserves Amid Iran-Israel War appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Citizens of Iran are heavily purchasing Bitcoin (BTC) and directing it to self-custody wallets. 

A 2026 report from blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis showed an uptick in Iran’s crypto system valuation from $7.4 billion in 2024 to $7.8 billion in 2025. 

The report also highlighted that users withdrew roughly $10.3 million worth of cryptocurrencies from major Iranian exchanges to crypto wallets in the 48hours following the US-Israel’s preemptive strike on Iran. Within minutes of the hit, the country’s largest exchange, Nobitex, saw a staggering 700% spike in outflows.

This coincided with a steady uptrend in Bitcoin outflows before and after the January 8 government-imposed internet blackout.

Source: Chainalysis

Bitcoin becomes the financial lifeboat for Iranian citizens

Bitcoin has primarily become a financial haven for Iranians since its long-term value acts as an inflationary hedge. Iran’s native currency, the Rial, has declined 90% in value since 2018. Inflation in the country has also escalated to 40-50%, the highest recorded since World War II.

Additionally, Bitcoin in self-custodial wallets is immune to state/exchange restrictions and security vulnerabilities. In mid-2025, Nobitex suffered a $90 million hack, while Tether continues to blacklist addresses and freeze USDT funds for alleged Iranian conspirators. 

Meanwhile, the nation’s central bank (CBI) has suspended rial-crypto conversions several times to prevent further devaluation of the rial. The bank has recently become more accommodating of cryptocurrencies, but on the condition of real-time user surveillance.

Another reason for the migration is the January government-imposed internet blackout, which rendered cryptocurrencies on exchanges useless. Additionally, cryptocurrencies’ digital nature makes them highly portable for those anticipating fleeing the country. 

Most importantly, cryptocurrencies allow cross-border remittances despite sanctions such as the SWIFT bank line of disconnects.

Researchers now estimate that 15 million Iranians (20% of the population) are involved with or using Bitcoin, among other cryptocurrencies.

Iran joins sanctioned countries in Bitcoin adoption

Iran, Russia, Venezuela, and North Korea are sanctioned countries that are increasingly pivoting towards cryptocurrencies to bypass international trade restrictions.

Crypto firms Binance and, ironically, the Trump-backed World Liberty Financial (WLFI) are now facing Senate probes related to Iran-linked flows.

The post The Crypto and Stock Market Rebound Is Coming This March: Fundstrat’s Tom Lee appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Tom Lee, the co-founder, Managing Partner, and Head of Research at Fundstrat Global Advisors, has predicted a market-wide revival, which he says will take place this March. 

“I think March is going to be a turnaround month for the better.”

In an interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box, Lee identified 2026 as a bullish year, with tech companies and cryptocurrencies showing the best gains.

Crypto and stock market bull run

In the interview, Lee forecasted a year-end target of 7,700 for the S&P 500 Index, which closed at $6,881 on Monday.

As for crypto, Lee dismissed the recent market volatility as more of a “squall” than a structural failure. He further reiterated a $200,000-$250,000 (roughly +165%) target for Bitcoin in 2026, adding that the flagship cryptocurrency would retire its historic four-year cycle in favor of a more mature momentum. This comment is similar to that made by digital asset management company Grayscale Investments, in its report dubbed the “Dawn of the Institutional Era.”

Lee projected similar sentiments on Ethereum, saying it was primed for a “supercycle.” The second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap would move from being a speculative asset to a significant financial infrastructure following heavy institutional adoption. This uptake would catalyze a rally to a range of $7,000 – $9,000 (roughly +363.92%) by early 2026, according to Lee.

Source: CoinMarketCap

He further noted AI-driven productivity, strong corporate earnings, and government support as key contributors to this outlook. AI infrastructure company Nvidia reported a staggering 875% increase in net profit since January 2023, according to Forbes. As for interest rates, the US Federal Reserve paused any further changes to the current range of 3.50% to 3.75%, with potential cuts expected to be delayed until June or September.

@fundstrat's Tom Lee expects March to be an up month for the stock markets: https://t.co/lBY02LCI2j

— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) March 2, 2026

Comments on Lee’s market outlook

Most of the comments on CNBC’s X post of the interview depict wariness of Lee’s predictions, labeling him a  “permabull” due to consistently optimistic forecasts for the US stock markets. One commentator compared him to Jim Cramer, citing previous notable missed calls, such as ETH hitting $6,500 on August 2025.

Is ETH at $6500 like he predicted last August? Or his company at $65? Have never listened to this guy.

— Jim Thrift/Dad of 5 (@JimThrift) March 2, 2026

The post Ethereum Rivals Cardano With Upcoming Upgrades as Markets Rally appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

Ethereum plans on implementing Proposer-Builder Separation (ePBS) and Fork-Choice-Enforced Inclusion Lists (FOCIL) within this year’s Glamsterdam and Hegota upgrades. Both aim to uphold network decentralization and scalability while increasing speed, privacy, and security.

PBS will roll out first with the Glamsterdam fork scheduled for the first half of this year. The feature will further separate block builders and validators on Ethereum, preventing large validators from monopolizing and profiting from select transactions, a concept referred to as Maximal Extractable Value (MEV).

On the other hand, FOCIL (EIP-7805), scheduled for the 2nd half of 2026, will compel 16 randomly chosen validators to include certain transactions in their block. This will prevent transaction blocking or censoring on the grounds of perceived profitability.

Ethereum rivals Cardano in network development

In early 2026, Ethereum’s MEV rose to about $24 million in a single month. While profitable for validators, revenue-driven approaches such as front-running and sandwiching resulted in increased network congestion and gas fees for users.

PBS distributes validator power, mitigating MEV-induced centralization that was typically associated with large validators. A bigger version of FOCIL, simply known as “Big FOCIL,” would offer the same benefits as its parent, only on a much larger scale.

Source: X

Rival chain Cardano plans on offering similar benefits with the upcoming Midnight sidechain. The chain would leverage a dual tokenomics system that would enable users to hide sensitive information, including account transactions and balances. This development would also separate private and public computations, making Cardano less congested and effectively lowering gas fees. Midnight will also be regulatory compliant, which will encourage adoption among privacy-centric institutions.

1/ ICYMI: As Midnight moves toward mainnet, we’ve been rolling out the federated node operators helping run, secure, and strengthen the network before Midnight transitions to full community-driven block production later this year.

So far, seven organizations across cloud… pic.twitter.com/pcD6IrqJIj

— Midnight (@MidnightNtwrk) March 2, 2026

ETH and ADA prices

At press time, both ETH (2nd by market cap) and ADA (10th by market cap) showed positive price movement following the recent broad relief rally. ETH traded at $2,042, up 6%, while ADA traded at $0.28, up 2.70% in the last 24h. Cardano also showed positive market sentiment, following the recent launch of its USDC-backed stablecoin, USDCx.

Since the two altcoins move in lockstep with Bitcoin, their future price action largely relies on whether BTC will break above $70K.

Source: CoinMarketCap

The post Bitcoin Reclaims 69K Amid Big Institutional Buys appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News

On March 2, Bitcoin (BTC) reclaimed the $69K psychological level after a week of volatility that saw its price drop to $62K. At press time, the flagship cryptocurrency was trading at $69,483, up 3.65% in the last 24 hours. BTC’s market cap was also up 3.62% over the same time period to reach $1.38 trillion, while its open interest grew 6.74% to reach $46.12 billion.

Source: CoinMarketCap

The recovery is closely related to the recent increase in institutional accumulation, as firms take advantage of BTC discounted prices. 

Institutional buys buoy Bitcoin price

Strategy Inc. (NASDAQ: MSTR), the leading Bitcoin holder among publicly traded companies, has today reported accumulating 3,015 BTC in the past week. The purchase marks the firm’s 101st recorded Bitcoin acquisition and brings its total holdings to 720,737 BTC. At writing time, Strategy’s shares were trading at $137.42, up 6.32% in the last 24h.

Strategy has acquired 3,015 BTC for ~$204.1 million at ~$67,700 per bitcoin. As of 3/1/2026, we hodl 720,737 $BTC acquired for ~$54.77 billion at ~$75,985 per bitcoin. $MSTR $STRChttps://t.co/o9WaALcjan

— Strategy (@Strategy) March 2, 2026

Considering Strategy’s Average Cost Basis of $75,985 per BTC, this brings the company’s total net unrealized loss to $7.35 billion (13.4%). Still, the company continues to grow its Bitcoin treasury as it places greater preference on the long-term benefits of dollar-cost averaging over short-term gains. Underscoring this tactic is Strategy’s Q4, 2025 earnings call of 22.8% BTC yield for the whole of 2025.

The Turn of the Century. pic.twitter.com/6xiyuZrzVk

— Michael Saylor (@saylor) March 1, 2026

Another company that has recently increased its Bitcoin Treasury is ProCap Financial Inc. (NASDAQ: BRR), having announced an acquisition of 450 BTC at $30 million. This brings its total stash to 5,457 BTC, ranking it #19 in a list of public Bitcoin Treasury companies. ProCap plans to continue aggressively repurchasing its shares in order to cut the difference between stock prices and Net Asset Value (NAV), the latter being the amount of Bitcoin represented by each share.

Source: Business Wire

Other companies that have recently reported increased BTC acquisitions include Metaplanet Inc.(35, 102), Block Inc.(8,883), and American Bitcoin Corp (5,843). Spot Bitcoin ETFs have accumulated roughly 21,000 BTC since October (the last major accumulation). Meanwhile, retailers continue to retreat, with Binance seeing retail inflows surge by $5 billion.

BTC Price Forecast

According to one renowned CoinMarketCap analyst, should BTC break its near-term resistance zone ($68K), then its price could shoot to upto $79K.

Source: CoinMarketCap

Notably, BTC could restest $72,106 should it break above the $69,266 Fibonacci support. If not, then we could see a dip towards $65,224.